SF Giants could get Posey, Sanchez back Friday

The Giants knew that at some point they needed to cut the harnesses off Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez, throw them into a game and hope they are ready to withstand the rigors of competition.

It looks as if Friday will be that day for both.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that Posey might catch "a couple of innings" in Friday's game against Cincinnati at Scottsdale Stadium. Bochy also said Sanchez was "real close" and could be the designated hitter Friday.

Both debuts would be notable. Posey has not played in a game since a May 25 collision with Scott Cousins severely injured his left ankle. Sanchez has not played since he dislocated his right shoulder June 10 while diving for a ball against the Reds.

Though Posey's debut would be brief, he will not be babied. Asked if he would pinch-hit for the catcher to prevent him from running the bases, said, "No. If he can't hit and run, he won't catch."

Sanchez has been able to hit for a while, but he isn't ready to play second base. He practiced throwing across his body from second base for the first time Wednesday. Asked if he might be able to play the field by the end of the week, he said, "I doubt it."

Pitching coach Dave Righetti and catcher Chris Stewart meet with Tim Lincecum in the 2nd inning of the San Francisco Giants Cactus League spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. less

Pitching coach Dave Righetti and catcher Chris Stewart meet with Tim Lincecum in the 2nd inning of the San Francisco Giants Cactus League spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale, Ariz. ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 2 of 3

Freddy Sanchez chats with Buster Posey during practice before the San Francisco Giants Cactus League spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Both Sanchez and Posey hope to play their first spring training game soon. less

Freddy Sanchez chats with Buster Posey during practice before the San Francisco Giants Cactus League spring training game against the Colorado Rockies in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Both ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Image 3 of 3

SF Giants could get Posey, Sanchez back Friday

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

Lincecum hammered: Tim Lincecum has not been a good spring training pitcher. His ERAs from 2008 through '11 were 4.37, 6.94, 4.03, 4.50, so what happened in his second spring start was not a great shock.

He faced 13 hitters over two innings and surrendered five singles, a walk, a triple and a home run. More eyebrow-raising was his fastball velocity, which hovered around 89 mph and peaked at 91. Many of those pitches were up, and the Colorado Rockies pummeled them.

Lincecum will smolder over a bad exhibition game, but not this early. He said the ball was "coming out fine" and he heard the "whistle" that tells him his pitches have life.

"It's tough to tell right now," he said. "If anything was a real problem, I'm sure Stew would have come out to talk to me and say, 'Hey, man, something's not right.' But I feel fine. Outside of the result, everything was good."

Catcher Chris Stewart saw nothing out of sorts besides Lincecum's fastball location, which has been up all spring.

"It's still early spring training," Stewart said. "He's not throwing all his pitches yet either. He's trying to get his arm strength and his location down. Once the season starts, I'm not worried that we're going to see the Timmy we're used to."

Lincecum planned to concentrate on his fastball and introduce a few sliders, but his competitive instincts took over and he got "changeup happy" trying to get outs. Lincecum said outs are not important until the end of spring, when he builds his pitch count to 100.

One pitcher for Colorado did look game-ready. Jamie Moyer, the 49-year-old junk thrower attempting a comeback after Tommy John surgery, retired Aubrey Huff, Brandon Belt and Ryan Theriot on successive grounders to second base. Moyer got two more grounders and a strikeout in his second inning.

"I was terrible, and I'm the one who says, 'Wow, he's 49 and he's going to go back out there,' " Lincecum said. "He's probably telling me to shut up right now. I will."

Briefly: Catcher Hector Sanchez will miss two to three days with a right-hamstring injury. ... Brian Wilsonthrew 25 pitches, including the slider, in his final tuneup before he makes his game debut Sunday.

Giants 8, Rockies 6

Notable: Catching prospect Tommy Joseph, 20, who entered the game in the seventh inning, hit an RBI single in a three-run seventh then hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth for the Giants, who came back from a 6-2 deficit. ... Joseph, Gregor Blanco and Justin Christian all had RBI hits against Esmil Rogers in the seventh. ... The Rockies feasted on Tim Lincecum, who allowed five runs in two innings. The biggest hits were a Charlie Blackmon homer to start the game and a two-run Michael Cuddyer triple. ... Melky Cabrera was 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, one day after he ho- mered twice.

Quotable: "You can't stay back on that guy. I'm going to bunt every time I face him. I can't hit him. I told someone I hope I can still walk at his age."

- Catcher Chris Stewart after grounding out in his first-ever at-bat against Jamie Moyer, 49